So, when asked this do you use paper bags which are bio-degradeable or plastic bags that will be in the landfills for 2,000 years? I'm quilty of using both.

Sp plastic will be in landfills for 2000 years, is it hurting anything.

I'm trying to become more eco-conscious, but Nwokie makes a good point. A plastic bag is non-toxic and *will* degrade eventually (maybe a few thousand years). I'd be more worried about some other things in the landfills such as toxic chemicals and heavy metals, but what's the big worry about plastic?

Plastic bags give DJ something to play with on those boring days in Nebraska, Oklahoma or whatever bassakwards place she lives in.

I like the plastic bags. I reuse them, and can carry a lot more food, with greater overall ease than I can with paper.

What's the energy cost between the two? Maybe the plastic bags are cheaper, though that does have an oil cost maybe we don't need to pay right now.

Plastic comes from the residual oil, left over after various gasolines are made, including jet fuel. Unless we reduce our consumption of the lighter elements of oil, the amount of residue will stay the same, might as well use it.

We always request paper, because we reuse them as bags for our recycling efforts. Plus, you can fit way more groceries in one paper bag than you can in several plastic bags. However, when we do end up with plastic at other places than the grocery store, we recycle them. In fact, anything with the recycle logo gets recycled, and luckily where we live, it ALL goes in the same bin, so it's very convenient and has allowed us to serously reduce the amount of actual garbage we produce. Plus, when we buy one or two items, I refuse to let them give me a bag as it's not needed and is a waste.

I only use bags made of either hemp or air.....

The cheap ass plastic bags they are useing anymore rip and tear worse than paper bags ever did. You get any weight in them and he handles just rip right off so you wind up doubleing them. I like paper bags that come from a renewable source which are bio-degradeable. I think with all of the shopping that we do maybe it might be worth it to get our own canvas type re-useable strong bags that can hold lots of stuff and not have to use either paper or plastic!

>>>"I only use bags made of either hemp or air....."

I understand what you do with the bags that contain hemp, but of what value are the bags containing air?

We don't ask for either, we bring our own bags that we bought that are made from recycled materials or made eco-friendly. New Seasons has their own brand of large bags.

However if you bring in used paper bags to New Seasons you get 5 cents off per bag.

Just remember to bring your bags from home.

>>>I understand what you do with the bags that contain hemp, but of what value are the bags containing air?

They both biodegrade fast, even if they're not particularly functional.

We use plastic. When we have a bunch we take them back to the store. It takes a while, because we also use them for lunch bags and dog poop bags.

I always have one in my pocket. You never know when your dog's going to go. . .

I hate the plastic bags! You can only get a few things in each one, and then when you set them down in your car, and make a turn, they flop over, spilling everything all over! Makes me crazy!

Oh, and for the environment also...

Plastic is made from the residue of refining gas and other petroleum products. Paper is made by cutting down trees. Which is really better for the ecology?

We could all help a bit by not taking a bag for small purchases. Just think of all the times a bag is really unneccessary.

I do this regularly. It's bizzare too. Often one has to really push the point home. It's small, why carry a bag?

I think they like to put everything in a bag to make it a little easier to spot shoplifters.

Agreed. Really chaps their ass to refuse the receipt too. On something I really don't care much about, I just leave with it and only it.

I'm with Warner. I hate plastic bags.

Everything just rolls out of them in the car.

Paper!

As far as recycling, if I could put everything in one big bin (which I hear is coming here in Vancouver) I'd go back to it.

That come around here to pick up the recycling bins are idiots. If something falls out of it when they pick the bin up, they just leave it. If a box isn't crushed just right they won't take it.

They pissed me off so bad that I put my empty recycle bins out at the street 2 weeks ago with a not on them that said "Please take these recycle bins. I am DONE recycling. P.S. If you don't take the bins, next week the will be in the trash can"

They took the bins and since then everything goes in the trash cans.

Maybe I'll go back to recycling when it all goes in one bin...Maybe not.

>>dog poop bags....I always have one in my pocket.

From personal experience, at least two layers are needed.

The first time I was asked, "paper or plastic," I thought they meant the means of payment.

"Plastic is made from the residue of refining gas and other petroleum products. Paper is made by cutting down trees. Which is really better for the ecology?"

How about neither. Today you can get hemp based lunch bags that do decompose along with corn based containers that are biodegradable.

Or even better get reusable lunch bags. We just bought some wonderful products through www.resuablebags.com. It's fair trade practices, and 1 percent from sales is donated to help the environment.

The need for oil can be really slowed down, which is something the oil companies need to re-think. Newer cleaner technology can still make these companies millions of dollars. Some multi-national companies are beginning to see the light and the bottom line.

It's only a matter of time.

Paper bags are a heck of a lot more healthier to use when Bush supporters go out in public. Plastic bags tend to suffocate users.

WARNING, WARNING crude, sexist joke follows.



Without paper bags, how will really ugly women have sex?

Do biodegradeable materials decompose in landfills? I vaguely recall either a school lesson or a science show on TV that stated that because landfills are sealed, thus not allowing the materials in them to be in contact with air and rain, things in a landfill decompose very slowly or not at all.

This weekend, I was on a road cleanup crew and got to see biodegradeable plastics at work. In this case, there were some soft drink cup lids sitting on the ground. These lids were so brittle that they started to crumble when handled.

Having said that, I do get the plastic bags and then re-use them as lunch bags or as garbage bags.

Mrs. Okie told me that she prefers an opaque white plastic Wal-Mart bag...on you. The paper tears too easily.

;^)

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There...that better?

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(Gotta have two stars on it!